Tafasteh Merubah

My Rabbi's speech before Tekiat Hashofar on the second day of Rosh Hashanah really spoke to me! He spoke about setting goals for the new year. He began by quoting a recent Wall Street Journal poll of major CEOs and the like, and what type of goals they set for themselves. These CEOs were followed for a time and the only goals that were actually realized were those who set very small goals - not the grandiose ones.

He went on to say that Rav Shach one year articulated what his goal was for the year. One would have imagined a myriad of fantastic things, but his actual goal was to use a bentcher during birkat hamazon. ....Not all year, but just until Pesach...and only when he was at home. Can you imagine? And this is a gadol hador!

The message was clear and simple but oh so potent. Every year we try to make incredible Rosh Hashanah resolutions when all too often we find that the next year nothing too much has changed. That, he said is the message of tekiat hashofar. All of the Kolot need to equal up to the same time. A truah (all those little sounds) equal up to the tekiah. If we try to set small realistic goals that we can accomplish then with Hashem's help we will. He ended by saying that even though we may not feel that we have changed much from last year we can all say rather accurately that we are not the same people that we were twenty years ago. May this be that year that we all realize our dreams and reach our goals no matter how small they may be. ...and may this I"YH be the year of the geulah shleimah. A good gebentche year to all!